Tigers shock Al Ahly Ly in the season opener 

On the opening day of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL), Leonard Randall II and Teafale Leonard Jr combined for 64 points, helping the RSSB Tigers to defeat the self-proclaimed title contenders, Al Ahly Ly, 103–95 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.

Randall was on fire from behind the arc, making eight of his 20 attempts and finishing with a game-high 37 points. Leonard Jr., who thrilled fans with a series of dunks and blocked shots, finished with 27 points.

Following a balanced first half, in which the Tigers took a narrow five-point lead (52–47) at the break, the third and fourth quarters proved to be pivotal for the Rwandan team, who went on to lead by as many as18 points.

At times, it seemed as if the Libyan champions might turn things around, especially when they tied the game at 59–59 midway through the third quarter.

However, this prompted the Rwandans to respond with a 12-0 scoring run, giving them a 71-59 lead. 

Despite their efforts to fight back, Al Ahly Ly found it too challenging to overcome conceding 16 three-pointers to the Tigers. 

Lenard Jr., who is playing his second consecutive BAL season, scored the first two points of the 2026 BAL season with a thunderous two-handed dunk — a sign of things to come, as he was instrumental in the victors' success. 

Meanwhile, Randall II, making his BAL debut, caused Al Ahly Ly all sorts of trouble, adding seven assists to his 37-point performance.

Ntore Habimana and Antino Jackson Jr added 11 points each, and Mathiang Ayub tied a BAL record with 25 rebounds, adding seven points.

Donovann Williams led the way for Al Ahly, shooting 9-for-14 from the floor — including an impressive 7-for-9 from behind the arc — to finish with a team-high 28 points. 

Jo Lual Acuil finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while reigning BAL MVP Jean Jacques Boissy had a quiet night, finishing with five points from 2-for-13 shooting.

Talking to the BAL.NBA.COM, Mathiang Ayub said: “Obviously, I am proud of my performance, but personal stats don’t really matter as long as we get the job done as a team. I am really proud of my team, who all showed up. Everyone played their hearts out, we played together, and for some of us it was our first time playing in the BAL. It was a bit nerve-racking, but everyone knew their role.”

“Staying together is what gave us the win. It was important for us to come in and follow what the coaching staff were saying. We also knew that we had the whole of Rwanda supporting us. We just wanted to come here and give it our all.”

Al Ahly Ly return to action on Saturday, facing Petro de Luanda while RSSB will have a rest day on Saturday.